NEW YORK — Willie Mays didn’t just shine under the lights of New York City. He made them brighter.
Mays dominated MLB with the New York Giants for six seasons in his early 20s, cementing himself as a legend before he moved with the team to San Francisco.
He returned to the city more than a decade later with the Mets to give closure to his MLB career — ending it in the same place where he made “The Catch,” won a World Series and became an American hero in the mid-20th century.
BUY METS TICKETS:STUBHUB,VIVID SEATS,TICKETMASTER
Mays, arguably the greatest baseball player ever, died at 93 years old on June 18. In the Mets’ first home series since his death, a two-game Subway Series clash with the Yankees, the two New York ball clubs honored Mays.
Michael Mays, Willie’s son, threw out the first pitch Wednesday night and reflected on how his father grew New York’s sports identity and impacted others along the way.
“Dad always said, ‘A lot of people can play baseball, but turn the lights on and see what happens,’” Michael Mays said. “The lights he’s talking about are the ones that shine brightest. In New York. That’s where he first was under the lights. New York is where he became Willie Mays. That’s where the boy became the man in the big city.”
Willie Mays became an icon as soon as he returned to New York in 1954 after serving in the U.S. Army in 1952-53. He won NL MVP as a 23-year-old, and in Game 1 of that year’s World Series, he made perhaps baseball’s greatest catch at the Polo Grounds that helped win his lone championship.
There were baseball legends in New York before Willie Mays, like Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth. Unlike them, Willie Mays’ popularity was able to grow wider by being seen on television dominating in the country’s biggest city.
Former MLB infielder-turned-broadcaster Harold Reynolds joined Michael Mays in New York for Wednesday’s celebration, and he credited Willie Mays for why he, and many others, got into baseball.
“At that time, if you were a baseball fan, New York was where it’s at,” Reynolds told NJ Advance Media. “If Willie Mays played today, it would be must-watch TV every day. The closest thing I can compare it to was playing with Ken Griffey Jr. in Seattle. He did something every day.”
Willie Mays dedicated much of his time after his playing career to helping others. He started charities to grow baseball in underprivileged areas, and people say he never turned down a fan who wanted to meet him no matter where he was.
That became harder as he aged. Michael Mays said in the last year-and-a-half of Willie Mays’ life, he struggled with hip issues that limited his movement. It was more difficult to give back, but it didn’t stop him.
Willie Mays wanted to be seen by as many people as possible, knowing his presence could impact fans’ lives.
“He has this way of stopping and talking to everyone,” Michael Mays said. “He froze time. If he had 20 minutes to be somewhere and he’d stop and engage with everyone for 25 minutes, and he’d still be on time. I wish other guys would try it. It doesn’t take anything to engage a fan.”
Willie Mays highlights can now be watched by anyone online. You can see where triples went to die, some of his 660 career home runs and even videos of him playing stickball with children in the streets of New York.
What Michael Mays wishes others can see is what his father did off the field. Willie Mays left New York and returned to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, as well as other areas around the country, to use his image and resources to give back to those who needed him as a person, not just the Say Hey Kid.
“He educated everyone on planet earth about who he was,” Michael Mays said. “For me, the duty is to pick up the mantle, being where the most underserved people are. New York is going to be fine. We want to respond to the need to continue his work one kid at a time. His legacy is to uplift those who need it the most. ...
“The way he left us, maybe ‘The Catch’ isn’t the greatest play after all.”
MORE METS COVERAGE
- Mets pitcher facing possible surgery: ‘It’s a cruel game’
- New York Mets vs. Houston Astros LIVE STREAM (6/28/24): Watch MLB on Apple TV+ | Time, TV, channel
- Mets pitcher on trade deadline plans: ‘I expect (David Stearns) to add’
- Mets veteran on Grimace effect: ‘It’s BS’
- Batboy saves Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani from getting hit by baseball
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Gabriel Trevino can be reached at GTrevino@njadvancemedia.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
